Material Girls Reinvent Themselves
Sunday, 29th August20 years after the ultimate Material Girl shot to stardom, modern women reject diamonds & fast cars for old-fashioned love Strictly Embargoed until
As Madonna's Reinvention tour concert gets underway, a national survey from Friends Reunited Dating reveals that women across the UK have also reinvented what they look for in love and the age of The Material Girl is well and truly over.
The NOP World survey from Friends Reunited Dating, which focused on questions about love, dating & the role of money in relationships, found that although 80% of women admit that they do like to be wined and dined, over half would be more impressed by flowers after a date than expensive jewellery, designer clothes or fast cars. A mere one in ten women think financial security is the most important attribute a man can have, overall rating intelligence as far more appealing (36%).
As 21-year-old Friends Reunited Dating member Carley says, “It doesn't matter to me what men have got, it only matters that they make you happy. I go for personality above all else. On a date, I prefer to share the bill and if we go out for a drink I'd insist that we bought the drinks in rounds. I think men are wallies if they are intimidated by a woman who makes more money than them."
But some stereotypes do remain; with men overall thinking that good looks in a partner were three times as important as women (23% vs 8%).
And proving that we really do like to be looked after in sickness and in health, doctors were ranked as the most attractive occupation by a quarter of the population. The 80s yuppie interest in investment bankers is old news, with only one in ten women wooed by the cash and status bankers command.
Rhoda Moore, Head of Romance at Friends Reunited Dating says, "Madonna was the ultimate material girl, but now things have changed. Of course girls still wanna have fun, but our members tell us that they are more interested in the size of a man's heart than his wallet. We are no longer living in a material world.
Because we lead such fast-paced lives, men and women are finding that the best way to look for genuine potential dates is on the Internet. This survey shows that we now steer away from fast cars and flash cash - women like to be treated like ladies and looked after but are ultimately wooed by someone who is intelligent and genuine.
Certainly the fact that doctors are the preferred occupation for a partner indicates that we would like someone who is solvent, but above all else caring and intelligent."
Friends Reunited Dating (www.friendsreuniteddating.co.uk) is the sister website of the hugely successful reunion site Friends Reunited. It is currently the fastest growing online dating website, launched in September 2003 and currently with over 500,000 dating members. It is free to register and view potential partners online, with a fee of only £7.50 per month to make contact with other members. One new member joins every 2 minutes.
Notes to Editor:
Fun Facts:
Hey Good Looking:
- A good looking partner is less important as you get older
- o One in three 16-24 year olds think good looks are the most important attribute in a partner, falling to one in six people between the ages of 35-44 and only one in ten for 65+ years
- Scots are the most focused on appearance - overall one in five people in Scotland thinking good looks are the most important attribute! Compared to only one in ten people in the West Country
- Intelligence is the most important attribute in a potential partner (36%)
- Nearly half of all men asked would prefer a Porsche to expensive jewellery, chocolates or flowers (44%)
- Doctors are the most popular in Harlech and Carlton regions (33% and 32%)
- But the people of Yorkshire prefer artists to doctors (23% vs 16%)
Results:
Friends Reunited Dating survey results are based on a nationally representative telephone omnibus survey of 991 adults aged 16+ measured by global market research company NOP World, 6th - 8th August 2004. Results:
Q1. Would you say you agree or disagree with the following statement 'women today like to be wined and dined by their date/partner?)
| Total: | Agree 793 (80%) Disagree 141 (14% Don't Know 57 (6%) |
Q2. Which of the following attributes would you say is the most important to you when looking for a partner?
| Total: |
Good looks 148 (15%) Financial Security 87 (9%) Other 312 (31%) Don't know 40 (4%) |
Designer Clothes 6 (1%) Intelligence 362 (36%) None of these 37 (4%) |
Q3. Imagine you've just been out on a successful date, if he or she were to send you a gift, which of the following would you prefer?
| Total: |
Flowers 363 (37%) Expensive jewellery 119 (12%) A Porsche 279 (28%) |
Chocolates 126 (13%) Don't know 28 (3%) |
Q4. Which of the following professions would you rather date?
| Total: |
Doctor 238 (24%) Artist 178 (18%) Civil Servant 98 (10%) Don't know 98 (10%) |
Lawyer 141 (14%) Investment Banker 103 (10%) None of these 136 (14%) |
| Friends Reunited | Dating | Family Tree [About Friends Reunited] [Send a Friend an email] [Feedback] [Terms and Conditions] [Privacy] |
|
Copyright FriendsReunited.co.uk Limited 2000-2005.  All site material is owned by FriendsReunited.co.uk Limited and should not be used without prior permission. Any views expressed in message boards and members notes represent the opinions of the author, and do not represent the opinions of FriendsReunited.co.uk Limited |
|
